Container



E. O. THEN CONTAINER Jan. 2, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 29, 1938 Jam 2 1940 E. lo. THEN 2,185,236

CONTAINER vFiled Dec. 29, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheetl 2 Ac@ 75%/ ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER Application December 29, 1938, Serial No. 248,342

4 Claims. (Cl. 220-77) The present invention relates to the reenforcement of containers or cans and has particular reference to improvements in reenforcing the side seam of sheet metal can bodies.

An object of the invention is the provision in a sheet metal can body of a side seam adapted to be produced by an interfolding of side seam portions of the body wherein these portions are locked together in a tongue and slot connection prior to their being interfolded thereby producing a side seam having increased strength against high external pressure which tends to collapse the body and also against high internal pressures such as develops in some liquids, such as beer and other carbonated liquids, when enclosed and hermetically sealed in the cans made from such bodies.

Another object is the provision of a reenforced side seam of this character wherein the tongue and slot connecting sections are obtained from the side seam portions of the standard can body blank so that no eXtra material is needed, these tongue and slot sections being arranged within the finished seam so that the untinned edges of the tongues and the slots are not exposed either at the inside or at the outside of the can body.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a flat blank from which a can body embodying the instant invention may be made;

Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of partially formed can bodies made from the blank shown in Fig. 1, the views illustrating different stages in the formation of the reenforced side seam; and

Figs. 4., 5, 6 and '7 are enlarged sectional views illustrating different stages in the construction of the reenforced side seam, Figs. 4, 5 and 6 being taken through one of the tongue and slot connections substantially along the transverse section line @-4 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 7 being taken along a parallel transverse line in between tongue and slot connections.

As a preferred embodiment of the invention the drawings illustrate a can body blank II (Fig. 1) preferably of rectangular shape and adapted to be formed into a cylindrical can body having a lock and lap side seam. One of the edges of the blank is provided with notches I2 disposed adjacent each end of the blank. These notches set off two end lap seam sections I3 and a longitudinal lock seam section I4. At spaced intervals along the lock seam section pairs of spaced slits I5 are formed which set off intermediate 5 tongue sections I6.

The opposite edge of the blank II is provided with notches 2l disposed adjacent each end of the blank and in alignment with the notches I2. Notches 2l set off two end lap seam sections 22 10 the corners of which are clipped as at 23 and also set o a longitudinal lock seam section 26 between the notches. At spaced intervals along the lock seam portion, slots 25 are cut and these align with the tongue sections I6 inthe opposite 15 edge of the blank.

The blank II is rolled or otherwise bent into cylindrical shape as illustrated in Fig. 2 and the lock seam section I6 of the blank edge is bent back to provide a turned-out hook 21. The tongue sections I6 are also bent out into tongues 28 which project from the plane of the hook at substantially right angles thereto as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. In a similar manner the lock seam section 24 of the opposite blank edge is bent inwardly to provide a turnedsin hook 2S.

The open edges of the cylindrically shaped blank or partially formed can body are then brought into interengaged position, the inturned hook 29 overlapping the out-turned hook 21 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. At the same time the tongues 28 adjacent the inturned hook 29 are inserted into the slots 25 in the out-turned hook 21. While in this position the tongues are bent down against the outer surface of the inturned hook 29 as shown in Fig. 5. This bending action clamps or locks the two hooks 21, 29 together.

The locked hooks 21, 29 are then bumped or squeezed in the usual manner so that the inturned hook 29 is interfolded with the out-turned 40 hook 21 to produce a side seam 3l as best shown in Figs. 6 and '7. In this interfolding operation the lap sections 22 move down into overlapping relation with the lap sections I3 and are pressed close together. Between the lap sections and the tongue sections the hooks 21, 29 are interfolded in the usual manner to provide a lock section best shown in Fig. 7.

At the tongue sections the hooks 21, 29 are double locked together as shown best in Fig. 6, the tongue and slot connection being inside the regular locked section of the seam so that all raw or untinned edges of the blank adjacent the tongue and the slots are covered up and are not 55 exposed inside or outside of the can body. This completes the formation of the can body.

Such a lock and lap seam is in itself of such increased strength that for some products additional treatment of the seam is unnecessary. However, where liquids are adapted to be packed in the finished can it is desirable to further solder the side seam to prevent leakage and also to produce a more complete bond between the seam parts. This solder is indicated in the drawings by the numeral 32. In such a soldering of the seam the tongue and slot connections provide minute adjacent spaces which act as vents to7 permit the hot gases of the soldering operation to escape from the seam interior While the solder is working into all the interstices of the seam.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendantvl advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment'thereoi.

I claim:

l. A can body having a reenforced side seam capable of resisting high internal and external press re which comprises a pair of oppositely directed hook sections, one of said hook sections having a slot formed therein, and a tongue in the other of said hook sections, said tongue being engaged in said slot and bent baci: on itself aga-inst the adjacent hook section, when said hook sections vare interengaged and interfolded in a seam, said engaged tongue and slot connection providing for additional locking of said seam.

2. A can body having a reenforced side seam capable of resisting high internal and external pressures, which comprises an inturned hook section having a plurality of spaced slots formed therein adjacent its marginal edge, an outturned hook section adapted to be interengaged and interfolded with said inturned hook section to produce a lock seam throughout its length,

and a plurality of projecting tongues formed in said out-turned hook section and extending through said slots and being bent back on themselves against the outer surface of said inturned hook section thereby providing doubly locked hook sections spaced along the length of said seam, said tongue and slot seam locking connections being disposed inside said seam where any raw untinned edges are confined from eX- posure to the interior or the exterior of the can body.

3. A can body having a reenforced side seam capable of resisting high internal and external pressures, which comprises a pair of oppositely directed hook. sections, one of said hook sections having a slot formed therein, and a tongue in the other of said hook sections, said tongue being engaged in said slot and bent back on itself against the adjacent hook section when said hooi: sections are interengaged and interfolded in a said engaged tongue and slot conneeton providing for additional locking of said seam, said hook sections and said tongue and slot connections being bonded together into a unitary side seam structure by solder disposed throughout the interstices of said side seam.

4. A can body blank comprising a generally rectangular body formed along one side seam edge with a plurality of slots arranged parallel with but spaced inwardly from said edge, said slots being adapted to be included in the side of a can produced from said blank and ernbodyinT said edge, and a plurality of edge locking tongues formed in the opposite side seam edge of said blank and set oii by slits extending from the outer edge of the blank inwardly thereof and terminating within the confines of the side seam portion of the blank edge, said locking tongues being adapted to be inserted into said slots and bent back on themselves and against the adjacent side seam edge for locking said edges together when said blank is formed into a can body and its side seam edges united into a locked side seam.

EDWARD O. THEN. 

